Christmas

Coconut Chow Mein Butterscotch Cookies

by:
March  9, 2012
4.5
2 Ratings
Coconut Chow Mein Butterscotch Cookies
Photo by Mark Weinberg
  • Makes 24 cookies
Author Notes

Decades ago my mom made a no-bake cookie that I loved: melted butterscotch morsels, chow mein noodles, done. Combining the ingredients in a straight up cookie dough has been on my “must try” list ever since I tasted my first Momofuku Milk Bar “Compost Cookie,” the sweet meets savory brainchild of pastry chef Christina Tosi. Further inspired by memories of baking with mom (Mom ALWAYS made us mix cookie dough by hand.) and too weary from traveling to drag out the Kitchen Aid, I made these without a mixer. The result was a jam-packed cookie that screamed with flavor. —Bob Vivant

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour (or all-purpose flour)
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
  • 3/4 cup chow mein noodles
  • 1 cup butterscotch morsels
  • 3/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt (I use Maldon, but any coarse salt will work)
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Beat butter and sugars until creamy. Add egg and vanilla extract.
  3. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and coconut. Add the dry ingredients to the wet. Stir in noodles and butterscotch chips.
  4. Roll dough into balls about the size of golf balls (approx. 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough) and place two inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten the tops slightly with a glass. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt.
  5. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned but still soft. (I prefer mine slightly under cooked.)
  6. Cool slightly on baking sheets. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.
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6 Reviews

epicharis
epicharis May 25, 2019
These were so good! I used my own flour blend (some AP, some oat, some rye) to make up for the lack of white whole wheat and they came out perfect; the rye flour really cut down on the sweetness and kept it from being cloying, which happens a lot with cookies like this. This is a delightfully grown-up version of a childhood classic.
 
Jennie L.
Jennie L. September 13, 2016
Thanks, Mary S! I'll track some down and give this a go finally!
 
Jennie L.
Jennie L. March 30, 2014
I love the idea of butterscotch, but every store bought butterscotch morsel I've ever tried has been nasty: too sweet and highly synthetic tasting. Can anyone recommend a brand of morsels that tastes good so I can try this recipe?
 
Mary S.
Mary S. September 12, 2016
Guittard has really good butterscotch chips. I also love their white chocolate chips even more than the Ghirardelli brand which were my go to brand. Our Christmas Tree stores carry Guittard and you can also find them online.
 
woodchuck29
woodchuck29 January 3, 2014
An amazing combination of flavor and texture - Wow!
 
claudine
claudine November 23, 2013
Very good cookies, the only thing is the recipe calls for egg and salt but it is not in the ingredients, so I figured out that it was one egg and I put 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Very easy to make and taste good.